27.1.15

You might think that knocking back a drink six days out of seven doesn't sound like the most virtuous of health plans.

But according to research, laying off alcohol for just one day a week could significantly reduce your risk of liver damage.

Scientists have previously claimed that people who drink large amounts are the most likely to develop alcoholic cirrhosis.

But now a study of 55,197 people has shown that drinking patterns can also influence your risk of developing the disease.

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Laying off alcohol for just one day a week could significantly reduce your risk of liver damage

Volunteers
were quizzed on their lifestyle, eating habits and waist circumference
as part of the test. They were also asked to report their average
alcohol intake in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties.

Experts
found that 342 of the study's participants were diagnosed with
cirrhosis. They used the information to calculate 'hazard ratios' for
liver disease in relation to drinking frequency, lifetime alcohol intake
and beverage type.

The
results, published in the Journal of Hepatology, showed that daily
drinking appears to be a risk factor along with the total amount of
alcohol consumed.

It found that drinking every day was far more dangerous for our health than consuming alcohol on five or six days a week.

The study found that wine is linked to a lower risk of liver disease compared with beer and spirits

The
study also showed recent alcohol consumption – rather than lifetime
drinking habits – is a stronger predictor of alcoholic cirrhosis.

And
it found that wine is linked to a lower risk of the disease compared
with beer and spirits. Researcher Dr Gro Askgaard, from Copenhagen
University Hospital, said: 'For the first time, our study points to a
risk difference between drinking daily and drinking five or six days a
week.

'We can speculate that the reason may be that daily alcohol exposure inhibits liver regeneration and worsens liver damage.'